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BEGINS IN: ST. GEORGE, UTAH

Staircase to the Past: Utah’s Grand Circle of Parks and Monuments and the Grand Canyon’s North Rim

this trip was amazing, learned, saw, discovered so much, Dennis, Linda and Jerry were awesome. The hikes brought us to magical places. Every turn on the bus, a new horizon. The trip can be a bit exhausting, very little "down" time. Expect a 2 day nap when you get home :)

Wonderful trip!! Eldon, Diane and Liane were fabulous! The beauty around every bend was amazing. I learned more geology in 10 days than I ever had done before! I'll never look at a mountain the same again. Thanks for a great trip!

If you haven't done this trip, put it on your bucket list. It is not only awe-inspiring scenery, but moderately physically challenging. I prepared for the hiking in advance and it paid off; I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on the adventures. Also, plenty of photography opportunities along the way.

The Grand Circle of Parks, Monuments and North Rim of Grand Canyone in Utah was exceptional in all ways. My husband and I cannot think of a better way to see all that it offered and cannot speak highly enough of this tip!

This trip was awesome even if one has seen the National Parks in Utah/Arizona before. I consider myself a very well travelled individual and this trip ranks among the best! The group leader, geologist, as well as the bus driver were beyond compare. The beauty of the National Parks made me speechless and all I kept hearing myself say was "WOW!" A must see!

Having traveled extensively for the past thirty years, I would rate this program as one of top ones I have attended. The leader, instructor and driver were outstanding in every way and the venues spectacular..

This trip was all I hoped it to be- seeing, learning, experiencing, photographing the Colorado Plateau with a great group of people. Now I understand how the great rock formations came to be and what they are becoming. The local pioneer and Native American info was also meaningful. So glad to have taken this trip!

After 7 tours in Europe, this is our first tour in the USA. This one rates up there with the best. Very informative, and well organized. The tour director, coach driver, and geologist were excellent! Would highly recommend this tour.

This was the best trip ever! Road Scholars we met in California recommended it to us as their favorite and they were absolutely right. The choice of difficulty of walks and the daily geology pointers made it a great experience for a non-science person!

It’s been over a week and I’m still telling everyone I see about what a fantastic time I had in Utah. The group leader and our “personal” geologist were outstanding...and the rocks were beyond my wildest expectations. I signed up to see the Grand Canyon, but our time there was too short. I didn’t realize that the other national parks were just as spectacular. We have a beautiful country! Go see it.

If you want to do more than just visit the National Parks of southern Utah, this is the program for you! An experienced and local geologist is with you throughout the tour explaining the formations as you see them. This is a lot to assimilate in 10 days, but you leave with an immense appreciation of the forces of nature and the variety of land forms produced.

This was the TRIP of a LIFETIME...seeing Bryce, Zion, Arches, North rim of the Grand Canyon, driving through Monument Valley...the sights never ended! And we had the ABSOLUTELY BEST leader and geologist along with us. Each day was filled with interesting facts, stories about the towns we drove through, maps and videos to fill the drive time, walks that had options depending on how active you wanted to be, stops at Native American spots...just a FASCINATING introduction to Utah and its wonders. It was well organized and thought-out--I came home tired but VERY HAPPY!!!!!

This trip was absolutely amazing! The geological beauty was truly awe-inspiring, and Linda, Dennis, and Fred made the experience both educational and great fun. It was better than I could ever have imagined, and I am eager to take another Road Scholar trip!

Nellie from Pittsburgh, Pa
Number of programs attended: 1
Date attended:09/19-09/29/13
What a way to spend 10 days! The beauty of this state is amazing and the knowledge that Darrel and Paula McMahon have and shared with us made it an unforgettable trip. And let's not forget our fabulous driver Paul Peterson, he got us in and out of many interesting places! We will be back.

We loved every minute of this spectacular trip! Our wonderful experts, Paula and Darrell McMahon shared their knowledge, reverence, and love of their state with us making our tour educational as well as continually awe-inspiring.
It's an absolutely wonderful way to spend ten days.

A wonderful 10 day trip to one of the most spiritual places in the US. Linda and Dennis provided a highly educational and entertaining experience that is so far the highlight of my retirement. Great food and accommodation, with a wide variety of diverse activities, I highly recommend this trip.

Indescribable sights and beauty. An experience beyond my expectations. Photos are reminders of the experience, but canot capture the wonder of it. The inclusion of a visit with a Navaho family, and learning first-hand about their culture, was a special treat for me. There were several especially "special" moments. Overall, an experience hard to convey...grateful I had the opportunity to see it for myself.

outstanding sights and well worth seeing. most outstanding sights in this country. high elevation may be a problem to some people. must be able to walk a mile or more and climb steps etc. to get full benefit of program each day.

What a thrilling experience to stand in the depths of a canyon, see the multiple the layers of rock that date back millions of years, and have their origins explained by a geologist who knows his field!

A fantastic experience that I will long remember. I saw so much more than I would have on my own; and learned things about the places we went that I would not have learned had I done this visit to the Nat'l Parks of Utah on my own.

Marsha, Janice and Kelly were what made this trip the most wonderful experience I could have imagined. I had been to several of these parks before but never in the company of such fine companions. I'll be back for another adventure with Roads Scholar.

Program #8727 (Staircase to the Past: Utah's Grand Circle of Parks and Monuments....) was Grand in every way: the views; the group leader, bus driver and geology guide; the group of travelers; the accommodations. I highly recommend it.

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*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!